Tancred – Out of the Garden

Out of nowhere, a new album is pushing all the buttons that MTV’s “120 Minutes” once did back in the 1990s. Tancred play the relentlessly catchy alt-rock that was once the province of so many college-radio bands fronted by smart, ambitious American women. No need to name those bygone groups here — bandleader Jess Abbott understands her musical inheritance and has plowed fearlessly forward anyway with a remarkably inspired and concise set of tunes on Out of the Garden, her band’s new album.

Boosted by the production work of L.A.’s indie-pop power couple Steve MacDonald (Redd Kross, OFF!) and Anna Waronker (That Dog), Out of the Garden is essential music for cruising on down to the Sonic Drive-In to, all youthful unguardedness and guitar-driven exuberance. Okay, scratch those 90s references I made previously. Tancred have tapped into a ageless musical formula that many others have drawn from since the millennium. For 33 minutes at least, Tancred own this sound now.

About The Author

Leonard

A sociology professor living in upstate New York, Leonard Nevarez is patiently waiting until his kids are old enough for a family roadtrip to Maryland Deathfest. He blogs at musicalurbanism.org and is writing a book about Martha & the Muffins and the late 70s/early 80s downtown Toronto music scene.

Victor Sandoval

How ’bout an homage to your West Coast roots and substitute In-N-Out for Sonic? I guess you are an East Coaster now. Nice review. I’ll give it a whirl.

Victor Sandoval

Don’t care ’bout the burger nostalgia conveyer any more. Just love the bar chordies and the Jenny Lewis on ‘roids vocals.